Digital Arena Research Articles

HYBRID GENESIS OF INFORMATION OPERATIONS IN CYBERSPACE

Contemporary global security environment could be labeled as complex, dynamic, multidimensional and ‘’beyond limits’’ of conventional understanding of Warfare. Diversity of threat forms and its interactions and non-conventionality contribute that most of the actual security crises and conflicts are marked as Hybrid security endangering, or Hybrid Warfare. Globalised tehnology introduce new ‘’battlefild’’ in global digital arena. Massive application of information and communication technology has brought about new risks and threats represented by physical and software related dangers to critical information infrastructure and cyberspace that are of relevance to the nation and its security. In same hand, wolnurability and inportance of Cyber space tends to provoke necessity for ultimate resilaince copabilities against ataks and informational warfare. Hybrid form and asimetrical nature of endangerment of Cyber space which is crutial for national defence copabilites, rised analiticial approach to the political, security and organizational forms as well as clasification of threats in cyber space which were elaborated in this paper. Authors’ contribute to the understunding of threats in Cyber secyrity arena, trough analyses of China PLA approach to the subject. In addition, unique contribution is given with analyses of Cyber-Information Warfare during 1999 NATO aggression to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Digital use and mistrust in the aftermath of the Arab Spring: beyond narratives of liberation and disillusionment

Through the prism of the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East in 2010–2011, new media has been presented as diametrically opposed to the top-down and mistrusted. Asking the question, ‘In what ways do trust, privacy and surveillance concerns intersect and inflect the individual and collective practices of young people in networks of participation, and their sense of civic connection through old and new media?’, this article presents a nuanced understanding of the relationship between digital media and mistrust. Through the study of original case studies in Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and the UAE, we examine attitudes towards and usage of digital media in creating and maintaining political, civic, cultural and artistic networks among communities. We analyse our abundant qualitative interviews, observations and ethnographic data collected to reveal the continuity of media mistrust as people move into the digital arena. As new tools continue to be launched many young people in the region remain alert to the ways in which these tools can serve or hinder individual and group aims. Beyond narratives of liberation, disillusionment or democratisation, ‘new’ media poses both mundane and surprising challenges in encouraging and engaging networks of participation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Consumer Behaviour and New Consumer Trends Vis-à-Vis the ICTs

Objectives. In this paper, consumer behaviour is analysed following the criterion of behavioural economics and how it affects digitalisation, and the current change in consumer trends. Methodology. It is based on a search of behavioural economics studies and theories arising within this field, such as the Nudge Theory. Having gained an understanding of consumer behaviour, this was taken to the digital arena and the different ways of obtaining information from users to learn about their behaviour in this area and its impact, were analysed. Results. By studying behavioural economics, the conclusion was that there are differences with classical economics, which asserts that people’s decision making is rational, while behavioural economics argues that we are influenced by many aspects. This taken to the world of digitalisation translates as the great importance to companies of collecting data from users in order to learn about them and be able to predict their behaviour. Limitations. There are few studies on behavioural economics within the digital field, and there is less information on consumer behaviour online as offline.

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Teenage intimate partner violence. Digital media and coercive controlThe aim of this article is to describe violence and its different forms in an everyday context, through interviews with teenagers experiencing intimate partner violence, focusing on the violence that takes place in the digital arena. Using Evan Stark’s concept of coercive control, the dynamics of digital violence is explored. The conclusion is that the violence that takes place in the digital arena should be understood as a form of psychological violence. Furthermore, teenage intimate partner violence is a serious societal problem showing patterns and phenomenology similar to intimate partner violence between adults, and it must therefore be taken just as seriously.

Teenagers' personal accounts of experiences with digital intimate partner violence and abuse

BackgroundWhile in-person intimate partner violence and abuse (IPVA) among teenagers has been widely studied in the past two decades, knowledge about the role digital media plays in IPVA is limited. ObjectiveThe aims of the study were to explore the nature of digital IPVA among victimized teenagers and how digital IPVA co-occurs with other forms of dating violence in this age group. MethodSemi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of 14 teenagers (12 girls), aged 15–18 years old, who had experienced digital IPVA victimization. AnalysisThe teenagers' personal experiences with digital IPVA victimization, were analyzed using thematic analysis. ResultsFour categories of digital IPVA victimization were identified: harassment, control, monitoring, and sexual coercion. Additionally, many respondents reported that digital IPVA co-occurred with similar forms of in-person victimization. However, a few experienced digital victimization only. ConclusionThe findings show that digital IPVA is multifaceted with severe impact on teenagers' lives. It can co-occur with in-person IPVA but can also be restricted to the digital arena. Nevertheless, digital IPVA occurs within the framework of intimate relationships. Prevention efforts should target young people's understanding of intimacy, sexuality, and what it means to be in an intimate relationship.

‘As if it Was Something Spoken by a Friend’: The Study of Digital Vote-Canvassing Networks on Facebook During the 2013 Bangkok Gubernatorial Election Campaign

Adapting the idea of the traditional vote-canvassing network for the analysis of electoral politics in the digital arena and using the concept of ‘two-steps flow’, this paper explores the way in which Facebook was used to establish and develop ‘digital vote-canvassing networks’ during the 2013 Bangkok gubernatorial election campaign, which was the latest and a completed election in Thailand. This paper attempts to answer the question ‘How was the relationship among the individuals who were part of the candidates’ networks on social networking sites developed during the 2013 Bangkok gubernatorial election campaign?’ This research used multimodal analysis to determine the two main contenders’ strategy in expanding their Facebook network during the 2013 Bangkok gubernatorial election campaign. This research also conducted a total of 14 semi-structured interviews with Thai politicians, election candidates and their public relations personnel to examine the significant of relationship, interaction and spreadability of content on SNSs during the election campaign. This paper argues that the development of relationships among people connected to the digital vote-canvassing networks was integrated through the coordination and dissemination of campaign content on Facebook to enhance the electoral ties between candidates, their followers and followers’ friends, who might or might not be voters of the election. Vote-canvassing systems become ‘digital’ when a candidate’s public relations personnel acted as core vote-canvassers who manage and transmit campaign messages on the candidate’s Facebook page on behalf of the candidate, while the candidate’s followers interacted and spread the candidate’s campaign message to their own networks, enabling more Facebook users, who are connected to candidates’ Facebook page, in one way or another, to be exposed to the campaign content. However, there is no guarantee of votes in the digital vote-canvassing network.

The role of family members influencing rural Queensland students’ higher education decisions

ABSTRACTHigher education has the capacity to alter the life course of students. Cultural and social capital are central to educational opportunity and successful outcomes (Bourdieu, 1986. The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of Theory and research for the Sociology of Education (pp. 241–258). New York: Greenwood Press.; Reay, 2004. Education and cultural capital: the implications of changing trends in education policies. Cultural Trends, 13(2), 73–86.; Abbott-Chapman, Johnston, & Jetson, 2014. Rural belonging, place attachment and youth educational mobility: Rural parents’ views. Rural Society, 23(3), 296–310.). Drawing upon interviews with 25 high school students in rural and remote Queensland, Australia, this article investigates the relationship among rural students’ social and cultural capital, their families, and their attitude towards higher education. The students originate from a sample who are interested in careers in the digital arena and who see the value of participating in the digital economy. Building cultural and social capital through higher education offers career and social opportunities to those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Existing cultural and capital, however, can play a substantial role in the decisions that influence rural youth toward, or away from, higher education. Interview data suggests family members are strong influences on young rural people making decisions about their future. Parents and older family members inspire students to pursue higher education, while siblings and cousins who attending university offer firsthand information about university life. Data also emphasise students’ concerns about moving from their country hometowns, and awareness of physical barriers, such as distance and money.

ATM Card Cloning and Ethical Considerations.

With the advent of modern technology, the way society handles and performs monetary transactions has changed tremendously. The world is moving swiftly towards the digital arena. The use of Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards (credit and debit) has led to a "cash-less society" and has fostered digital payments and purchases. In addition to this, the trust and reliance of the society upon these small pieces of plastic, having numbers engraved upon them, has increased immensely over the last two decades. In the past few years, the number of ATM fraud cases has increased exponentially. With the money of the people shifting towards the digital platform, ATM skimming has become a problem that has eventually led to a global outcry. The present review discusses the serious repercussions of ATM card cloning and the associated privacy, ethical and legal concerns. The preventive measures which need to be taken and adopted by the government authorities to mitigate the problem have also been discussed.

One Day of #Feminism: Twitter as a Complex Digital Arena for Wielding, Shielding, and Trolling talk on Feminism

ABSTRACTThis article offers a critical analysis of the uses of the hashtag ‘#feminism’ on Twitter. To do so, we collected all English-language tweets shared publicly and containing the #feminism on Twitter in one 24-hour period and analyzed the content of those tweets. We found tweets with #feminism content served to (1) discuss understandings of feminism(s), (2) describe perceptions of feminists, (3) respond to/promote misogyny, and (4) express perceived relevance of feminism as a social movement. Beyond describing how #feminism is used in Twitter tweets, our findings inform our presentation of the use of #feminism to wield, shield, and troll feeds on feminism. We also discuss the opportunities for Twitter, as a digital leisure space, to be used to examine more closely complex, ongoing, and evolving conversations about feminism.

Evaluation of the intention of using products with internet of things within the context of technology acceptance model

Purpose- Developments in information technology and digital arena have opened the way for many new applications that will facilitate everyday life. It is important for producers to know the reasons behind acceptance, use and rejection of these new applications. The purpose of this study is to examine the basic factors behind the intention of using products with internet of things technology that are new to our life within the technology acceptance model. Methodology- The Multiple Regression Analysis was employed in this study to test the proposed hypotheses with the questionnaires sampled from 453 individuals living in Duzce/Turkey. Findings- It is seen that there is a strong correlation between attitude and intention among perceived usefulness, ease of use, attitude and intention variables examined in the study. In addition, perceived ease of use is concluded to have positive and significant effects on perceived usefulness and attitudes while the variable of perceived usefulness has the same effect on attitude and intention. Conclusion- The findings of this study not only contribute to theoretical aspects, but also arise practical issues for smart durable goods sellers.

The privacy paradox in using Facebook among Arab teens: between declarations and behaviour

The present study examines the issue of privacy among teens using the social network, Facebook. It examines, on the one hand, how Arab teens view the issue of privacy, and on the other hand, how participants actually behave. The study is based on a questionnaire delivered to 500 Arab teens from Israel. The study's results show that certain private information is more readily disclosed by Arab teens than one's family. Most participants reported that they are aware of the issue of privacy yet do not make changes to the site's default privacy settings. This behaviour supports the existence of some degree of the privacy paradox among participants, which is likely to be expressed in various online interactions. The results of the study can help educators and parents gain a better understanding of teens' behaviour in the digital arena, perhaps contributing to the creation of better and more suitable educational approaches.

The privacy paradox in using Facebook among Arab teens: between declarations and behaviour

The present study examines the issue of privacy among teens using the social network, Facebook. It examines, on the one hand, how Arab teens view the issue of privacy, and on the other hand, how participants actually behave. The study is based on a questionnaire delivered to 500 Arab teens from Israel. The study's results show that certain private information is more readily disclosed by Arab teens than one's family. Most participants reported that they are aware of the issue of privacy yet do not make changes to the site's default privacy settings. This behaviour supports the existence of some degree of the privacy paradox among participants, which is likely to be expressed in various online interactions. The results of the study can help educators and parents gain a better understanding of teens' behaviour in the digital arena, perhaps contributing to the creation of better and more suitable educational approaches.

Role of social media in politics

Social Media today is an interface between society and individual. The digital platform has changed the traditional view of engaging with politics. Anybody possessing a digital gadget today is content consumer and creator as well. This act of consumption and creation impacts our day-to-day politics. Movements like Occupy Movement in U.S.A., Brexit in UK show digital arena is becoming a new space for public discourse and political struggles. There is more to social media shaping politics i.e., usage of social media generated data of an individual or group by political parties to target voters. In this context ‘likes generated’ content is extracted without consent and big tech algorithms’ surround user with echo chamber information, thereby creating recipe for misinformation and sow seed of a polarized society.

Disruption in the automotive industry: A Cambrian moment

The automotive industry is experiencing a moment of innovation. With electronics gaining importance, the need to find sustainable solutions and the rampant availability of sharing platforms, the dynamics of this sector is witnessing a paradigm shift. A host of startups is colonizing every niche of what seems to be the new architecture: shared and self-driven electric vehicles. Old incumbents and emerging startups are interacting to control key technologies and the user interfaces of the future. The mechanical machine is being converted into a computer. The connected car is creating a new ecosystem for entrepreneurial opportunities. This study analyzes a set of 156 venture-backed startups: the nature of the firms, their founders’ profiles, their origins, their technological capabilities, and their investors. Our findings and conclusions are: (1) a phase of instability and vibrancy is beginning wherein multiple emerging firms compete to impose their standards, (2) the competitive battle is conducted in the digital arena, (3) disruption is led by outsiders with entrepreneurial experience and deep knowledge of digital technologies, and (4) a final winning dominant design may emerge. Entrepreneurial outsiders and outsiders coming from consumer electronics, electrical companies, and/or digital platforms have a window of opportunity to enter this new market.

Bankaool Bank: architecting an online-only financial brand

Subject area Marketing of financial products. Study level/applicability Graduate level. Occasionally, for undergraduate students with a strong background on branding strategies and strategic analysis. Applicable to analyze how companies can improve their branding strategies in highly regulated industries. Case overview In 2016, Claire Solís was discussing with her team the paths to ignite growth and brand awareness of the only digital bank in Mexico. To better position the brand on the Mexican financial market, Bankaool had decided to go 100 per cent online, a branch-less institution. The case presents a condensed history of banking and the shifts in digital consumer behavior. As the case continues, Bankaool products are introduced along with some concerns to keep the business going, particularly, regarding the bank’s health and further growth. The newly appointed CMO and her team have to decide next steps to boost product growth just before the Fintech industry grows more mature and competitive – a scenario of more complex decisions. While they reckoned the potential of Bankaool in sales for the short term, they also need a strategy to position the Bankaool brand in the long term while they struggle with a need to accelerate growth and generate a return for investors. Expected learning outcomes To understand the launching of a new bank in the digital arena. To understand consumer behavior in a setting of increasingly higher digital coverage and diffusion of smart devices. To recognize that brand value goes well beyond product development and launch. To gain awareness on the perks and perils of a digital-only bank. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 8: Marketing.

Professional Ethics for Digital Age Psychiatry: Boundaries, Privacy, and Communication.

Internet and social media use continue to expand rapidly. Many patients and psychiatrists are bringing digital technologies into the treatment process, but relatively little attention has been paid to the ethical challenges in doing this. This review presents ethical guidelines for psychiatry in the digital age. Surveys demonstrate that patients are eager to make digital technologies part of their treatment. Substantial numbers search for professional and personal information about their therapists. Attitudes among psychiatrists about using digital technologies with patients range from dread to enthusiastic adoption. Digital technologies create four major ethical challenges for psychiatry: managing clinical boundaries; maintaining privacy and confidentiality; establishing realistic expectations regarding digital communications; and upholding professional ideals. Traditional ethical expectations are valid for the evolving digital arena, but guidance must be adapted for actual application in practice.

‘My coming out story’: Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth identities on YouTube

Videos in which young lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people discuss their experiences of coming out are highly visible on YouTube. While work from Cultural Studies perspectives has long explored how LGB youth construct and articulate their identities online, few studies have focused on YouTube. Through a study of 35 YouTube coming out videos, this article argues that through these texts, LGB youth are able to articulate what it feels like to be queer in a straight world, and produce and circulate strategies for negotiating a contemporary cultural context defined by increased visibility of LGB identities, alongside the continued dominance of heteronormativity. These strategies, I argue, correspond with broader imperatives to ‘authentic’ self-representation which traverse contemporary social life, and which are emblematised in practices of YouTube video production. As such, YouTube coming out videos offer a unique vantage for exploring how the medium specificities of YouTube, and broader norms of selfhood, shape how LGB identities become intelligible in the digital arena.

Bitch, slut, skank, cunt: patterned resistance to women’s visibility in digital publics

ABSTRACTResistance to women’s public voice and visibility via street harassment and workplace sexual harassment have long constrained women’s use of and comfort in physical public spaces; this gender-based resistance now extends into digital arenas. Women face extreme hostility in the form of digital sexism in discussion rooms, comment sections, gaming communities, and on social media platforms. Reflecting on two years of in-depth interviews with women who have been on the receiving end of gender-based digital abuse (n = 38), conversations with industry professionals working in content moderation and digital safety, the extant literature, and news stories about digital attacks against women, I offer a lens to think through the prominent patterns in digital sexism, showing (1) that aggressors draw upon three overlapping strategies – intimidating, shaming, and discrediting – to limit women’s impact in digital publics, (2) the way femininity and femaleness are used to undermine women’s contributions, and (3) men call attention to women’s physicality as a way to pull gender – and the male advantage that comes with it – to the fore in digital exchanges. Finally, I argue that when digital sexism succeeds in pressing women out of digital spaces, constrains the topics they address publicly, or limits the ways they address them, we must consider the democratic costs of gender-based harassment, in addition to the personal ones.

Internet and people with intellectual disability: an approach to caregivers’ concerns, prevention strategies and training needs

The aim of this study was to explore caregivers’ views about the risks of the Internet for people with intellectual disabilities and their preparation and ability to use prevention strategies to address them. The participants (20 family members and 24 staff members) belonged to a non-profit association working with people with developmental and intellectual disabilities and were asked to respond to a questionnaire about Internet safety and risks. Findings show some concerns from caregivers with regard to the use of the Internet by people with intellectual disabilities and suggest that this group is more vulnerable to online risks. Participants use different kinds of strategies to prevent the risks but they have not received any formal training. They think that this training should come from the Administration and other organisations. Some differences were found between family and staff members’ responses. Training programmes for all the groups involved in this process (i.e. people with intellectual disabilities, staff and family members) should be designed, implemented and assessed to promote the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in the digital arena.

The state of affairs with digital preservation at ARL member libraries

PurposeDigital preservation is a term that is a bit of an enigma to many people both in and out of the digital arena, but it will undoubtedly be important in an increasingly all-digital world. The underlying work relating to digital preservation is essential to the long-term care of digital media, but who is charged with addressing this type of work, and can policy serve to structure and also reflect this complex concept? The main point of interest for this study is to examine existing digital preservation policies at Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions and analyze the content of the policies. The purpose will be to determine if these policies are able to provide a robust framework for true digital preservation work at this point in time. First, an introduction is made to provide the structure of the study and background. Next, a literature review is provided, followed by an outline of the methods and results of the study, and finally a conclusion with recommendations for future research.Design/methodology/approachAn analysis of digital preservation policy at ARL institutions is conducted, with recommendations provided for further research.FindingsThis study was an attempt to highlight the current state of digital preservation policies, reviewing both the positive elements and the shortcomings of policies at ARL member institutions. The call for policies made for this study resulted in finding that 32 (26 per cent) ARL institutions currently have a digital preservation policy in place, from the institutions that responded (58 per cent response rate). In total, 23/40 institutions without a current policy indicate there is, or will be, work to complete a policy within the coming year (2016-2017). A call can be made at this time for more in-depth research and analysis of the policies for further inquiry. Both effective (University of Houston, University of Florida, York University) and ineffective (Colorado State University, University of Texas, Virginia Tech) digital preservation policies were discovered during the course of the study, with many policies falling somewhere in the middle. Many institutions provided a good template for digital preservation but lacked details for how this work would be addressed and who would be completing such work.Research limitations/implicationsLimited to ARL member institutions at the time of the study (January 2016).Originality/valueThere is currently a gap in analysis and research of digital preservation policies. This is an area of active policy creation for many institutions, and it will likely be a growing area for researchers to examine.